Automotive history can be presented in very different ways: as a tale of individual freedom; as a lesson used to shape the future; as a reflection of popular culture. But the narrative of the Concorso d’Eleganza, which has taken place at the Villa d’Este since 1929, is yet another one: It is a story of beauty. And it was impressively retold this year in Cernobbio, just north of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy.

All classic vehicles presented at the Concorso are in excellent condition and chosen to appear by a jury based on their historical, technological, and aesthetic merit. They are then grouped into nine more or less precisely defined categories, which this year included Graceful Open-Air Style, Interpretations of Elegance, The Art of Streamlining, Little Jewels, Stars of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Era, the Ferrari 250 Dynasty, La Dolce Vita, Gentlemen’s Sports Cars, and Heroes of Le Mans. There are more vehicles beyond that: historic motorcycles, historic minicars, and contemporary prototypes and concept cars. BMW deserves a tip of the cap for breathing new life into the Concorso and acting as its main sponsor now for more than a decade.

This year’s event saw the launch of the BMW Zagato Coupé, which we reported on in a separate post. Attending the Concorso d’Eleganza is a fantastic experience; it’s casual yet upscale, and it focuses on true exotics. Lesser events might allow mass-produced icons such as the MGB, Porsche 911, and “Pagoda” Mercedes SL—which certainly have their own merits—but this concours joins Pebble Beach among those that focus on the rarest machinery.

The Concorso is a three-day event, and the owners spend a great deal of time alongside their cars in order to answer the questions of onlookers or, more important, members of the jury. The picture above, where a proud owner drives his 1953 Bentley R Type Drophead Coupé in period dress and style, was taken as the cars paraded for the public and the jury late on Saturday, the main day of the event.

The Concorso d’Eleganza brings together cars of different classes and eras. This is a typical sight from Como: a prewar Rolls-Royce and BMW’s 1972 Turbo concept (which later influenced the M1) standing next to an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS coupe. Only the Italian car was an official entrant: BMW, as the main sponsor, has the prerogative to bring in additional vehicles merely for display. Behind them, out of frame, is Lago di Como, a favorite weekend and vacation retreat for the rich and beautiful from Switzerland and Milan.

This fantastic Rolls-Royce Round Door is based on a 1925 Phantom I and was rebodied in 1934 by Jonckheere in Belgium. It is notable for its steeply raked windshield, its rear fin, the liberal interpretation of the classic Rolls-Royce grille, and its highly original door arrangement—the doors are completely circular. The headlights and the wheel covers were designed with aerodynamics in mind, and the entire vehicle is a prime example of the art deco style that was fashionable in the Twenties and Thirties. This car, now in the possession of the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, is powered by a 7.7-liter straight-six. It did not compete for honors but was brought in simply to thrill visitors.

Seen here parading along Lago di Como is a 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS with a body by coachbuilder Figoni. The car was unveiled at the Paris auto show in 1933 and raced in Le Mans two years later. During its racing career, the car was fitted with a different body, but the original sheetmetal was returned to the chassis once it was retired from competition. The car is powered by a 1.75-liter, supercharged straight-six engine with dual overhead camshafts. It is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful prewar Alfas.

BMW’s Turbo prototype was brought along without actually competing in any of the classes. Designed by Paul Bracq, it is a stunning concept car that still looks futuristic 40 years after its debut. Power comes from a 276-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four which is closely related to the engine of the 2002 Turbo. The BMW Turbo concept features gullwing doors, plus front and rear fascias made from deformable plastic—an industry first. Two cars were built; the rear wheels are covered on the second car for improved aerodynamics. As mentioned, this car inspired the BMW M1 that was built in a small series between 1978 and 1981. But the production M1, penned by Italdesign-Giugiaro, looks far more conventional than Bracq’s Turbo concept.

This ultra-tiny, Zagato-bodied Abarth 500 is owned by Shiro Kosaka. The car is based on the classic Fiat 500 (a.k.a. Cinquecento) and was built in extremely low numbers. It is an early offspring of Abarth’s cooperation with Fiat; today, the scorpion brand is owned by Fiat and lends its name to high-performance versions of the 500 and the Grande Punto. This historic car is powered by a high-performance version of the Cinquecento’s two-cylinder engine. It was the class winner in the Little Jewels category at this year’s Concorso.

The Pininfarina-designed Ferrari 250LM, which isn’t among the classically beautiful Ferraris, was the successor of the 250GTO and is a sister model of the 250P race car. Powered by the 275GTB’s V-12 engine, it was technically a road car but was actually sold to private teams for racing. A 250LM campaigned by NART and driven by Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt won the 24-hour race at Le Mans in 1965. To this day, the sound and visual presence of the 250LM are almost fearsome.

The greatest race car ever? This is the 1969 Porsche 917/K that won the award for the best-preserved postwar car at the Concorso. The 917, loosely based on the 908, was launched in 1969 and won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1970. The car also raced in the Can-Am series until 1974. Porsche produced several body variations—open and closed, and with short and long tails. (The K in this car’s name is for Kurzheck, or short tail.) Later turbocharged versions produced well over 1000 hp; the 1969 model made 520 hp from its 4.5-liter V-12. The guy in charge of the 917 was Ferdinand Piëch; he later called it his “most risky car ever.” If unsuccessful, it would have put Porsche on the verge of bankruptcy. Instead, it became a smashing success on the racetrack and inspires the brand’s engineers to this day.

Shown here is a modern-day Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupé, placed in the park of the Villa d’Este. The remarkable location is the former summer residence of the Cardinal of Como and is not to be confused with the similarly lavish Villa d’Este in the Latium region near Rome. Since the late 19th century, it has been used as a luxury hotel at which we definitely can’t afford to stay. It provides a stunning setting for historic and contemporary luxury cars, though, and this brand-new Roller looks comfortably at home.

Part of the Concorso d’Eleganza is a presentation of current prototypes and concept cars. Lined up along the lake’s shore, these are the rear ends of the Lexus LF-LC and Italdesign-Giugiaro’s Brivido, with the Ford Evos (said to heavily influence the look of the next Mustang) in the background. Only the most recent concept cars are allowed here, and what struck us is the fact that almost all of them were painted in a similar raspberry red metallic. It was interesting, by the way, to take a peek under the hood of the LF-LC; we saw a lot of cables and buttons but weren’t able to spot much of the promised “front-engine, rear-wheel-drive” powertrain.

This 1941 Chrysler Town & Country attracted a lot of attention and generated many smiles, in no small part thanks to the pedal car tucked away in its luggage compartment. It received an honorable mention in its Interpretations of Elegance category. This is an early and rare example of a Chrysler woody wagon; production ceased in 1942 and was not resumed until 1946, after the war was over.

Here’s a 1950 Abarth 204A racing car, driven in period by no less than the legendary Tazio Nuvolari. It features an aluminum body over a steel frame and is powered by a four-cylinder engine tuned for competition and equipped with dry-sump lubrication. The car is an evolution of the Cisitalia Spider Nuvolari, and its front suspension is inspired by Porsche. Like the Abarth 500 Zagato, it was shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza as part of the Little Jewels class.

Juror and car designer Hideo Kodama is inspecting the engine compartment of a 1967 prototype of the Ferrari 365GTB/4, a.k.a. the Daytona. This automotive mishmash features a front end very close to that of the 275GTB/4, but a passenger compartment and rear end almost identical to those of the later 365GTB/4 production car. The Daytona went on to become one of the most iconic sports cars of all time; it was the last front-engined Ferrari V-12 high-performance sports car for more than two decades.